First Flight Home
by Rasa the North Wind
Summary: Sora left Kairi with the promise that he would return to her but after a dream about her, will he be keeping that promise sooner than expected? R&R!
**Hey, how's it going?! So it's been a minute since I posted my RokuXi story, "Kiss the Girl" so I thought I'd write another KH one-shot based on a song. I know that I said that I would be doing these with Disney songs because Disney is a huge part of KH but I heard this song in my friend's car on the way to school and instantly thought of Sora and Kairi so I had to write this. That being said, I will be taking song suggestions for pairings and there is no limits to the song but remember that these are suggestions. If I don't like the song or I can't picture a scenario with that song and those characters I won't write it, I'm sorry. That's your hint for the next one-shot ;). Now I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **First Flight Home**

* * *

 **[Sora]**

Sand crackled beneath my feet with each step that I took on the beach of my home world, Destiny Islands. It was hot, like always, but the fickle waves cooled off my bare feet every time they returned to me. I could hear seagulls calling out for the world to hear their annoying voices. Strangely, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed every part of the tiny island from its trees to its land formations to the edible food that grew on it but what I enjoyed…no, cherished was that it was ours. This little island was where my friends and I could escape our troubles and go on adventures together.

This was different, though. Time felt as though it wasn't moving beyond this beach. The clouds above were frozen and the sun, even higher, stopped telling time. I could still feel the sparkling water brushing up against my leg and a slight breeze pushing against my tanned skin. The zephyr was strong enough to move my chocolate locks and the baggy clothes that I wore. God, I had no fashion sense back then. It's amazing that she would talk to me because of them. In fact, it's a miracle she talked to me at all. She was so sweet and caring and adventurous. I was just the runt of the group that liked to smile a lot but even so, she always looked for me to spend time together. I didn't understand it at the time but in that moment that I saw her crimson tresses brushing gently against her shoulder, I did.

She stood further out on the beach, enough for the waves to catch the bottom of her dress but I wasn't paying much attention to it. I wasn't paying much attention to anything below her neck. All I could think about was her beautiful crimson hair that had grown a bit since I last saw her, reaching her shoulders now. I couldn't break my eyes away from her sapphire spheres that twinkled along with every warm smile that she offered me. That smile of hers drove me absolutely crazy every time I saw her. I would do absolutely anything for her to flash her pristine teeth my way because any time I could get her to smile or laugh, I was plunged into pure ecstasy.

She began to walk towards me, maintaining that wonderful smile of hers and I felt my heart race. The waves pulled at the bottom of her dress with every step she took but the pink and white fabric followed its host through the ordeal until it no longer had to. Once the water level below her knees, her dress just hung from the bottom, left damp by the envious ocean. It had a right to be envious of me for being with the most beautiful girl to ever grace this world and any other world.

When my love finally reached me, I offered her a smile that I knew would never be enough to repay her for hers. Regardless, I opened up to allow her ivory arms to wrap around my body. When I felt her chest push up against mine, I greedily enveloped her in an embrace, refusing to share with the rest of the world. We parted slightly and I looked down at her to find her shimmering sapphire orbs slowly lifting to meet mine. She wasn't smiling but soon, I saw the corners of her mouth tug against each other and then everything faded to black.

When I opened my eyes, I felt cheated and lost. Instead of bright blue eyes and a head of ruby hair, I was met with a cavern-like gray ceiling and then it started to come back to me. I was inside Merlin's house on Radiant Garden. I turned my head to the side and I realized that this was a nightmare because I was lying alone, worlds away from her.

Looking back at the ceiling, I stared at it for a moment before inhaling a large gust of air and releasing it back into the room. With a sigh, I told myself, "I better get ready for today." Then, I rolled out of bed and sluggishly walked to the chair that I threw my clothes onto last night before going to sleep. I wished that I could've just returned to that blissful dream. It was better than this reality filled with dangerous monsters that wish to rip my heart from my flesh.

* * *

I lifted the red party cup to my mouth and drank from it to avoid having to speak and interact with other people. Sure, I'm the happy, positive, energetic type but I just didn't have it in me that day to be all of that even for a friend's birthday party. Not after having to wake up from a dream like that.

A couple of my friends came over to talk to me for a bit and I held the conversation for as long as I could but they must've sensed that I was feeling uneasy. Aerith was especially quick to catch on and felt it best to leave me be. I made a note to talk to her about it later because more than anyone, she deserved to know what was running through my head. She had experience in this department and it was her birthday, after all, so I owed her that much after everything she'd done for me in the past.

My traveling companions, Donald and Goofy were off trying the assortment of food that party guests brought for everyone to enjoy and would occasionally drop by to have me try something new. Cid was entertaining with stories that he vividly described with his colorful language. Yuffie was keeping some of the kids busy and Leon was just off in some corner by himself. Nothing new there.

The brunette man shot his dark eyes in my direction and cocked his head quizzically. He must have been surprised by my mood, but not enough to show any more of a reaction to it. Instead, he pushed himself away from the wall that he leaned on and approached me.

"Mind if I take a seat?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Go right ahead."

"You're awfully cool today," he said sarcastically. "Did your friend, Riku, give you some pointers?"

I threw my hands behind my head and replied, "Naw, I learn just by watching you."

He huffed from amusement.

"What's going on in that spiky head of yours?"

"Just stuff."

"Well that's new."

My arms flung forward and I sat upright before whining, "Hey!"

"That's more like it. You clearly don't want to talk to me about this but just know that if you ever need anything, you know where to go." He stood up and went off to some other part of the room.

I spent the rest of the night just walking around and holding awkward conversations with my friends. After most of the guests had left, I found myself sitting on Merlin's doorsteps by myself. I soon heard the door open, followed by footsteps approaching, so I turned around only to see Aerith walking towards me with a warm smile. It almost reminded me of _hers_ but this one was more of a motherly kindness.

"So I noticed you were being a sourpuss back there," she said while still smiling.

Hearing her say that shot guilt into me. I was fixating on that dream so much that I probably made Aerith upset, or at the very least, concerned on her birthday.

I sighed, "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that."

She giggled, "Dilly-dally, shilly-shally. It's not a problem at all. So what's worrying you so much?"

"Is it that obvious?"

Holding her index finger and thumb closely, she responded, "Just a little."

I took in a deep breath and exhaled before starting, "Well I had a dream last night about a girl."

She started to laugh, causing me to stop.

"Is that why I saw Leon leave you earlier?"

I understood why she was laughing and couldn't help but to do so too.

"No, I didn't tell him anything. He just wanted to tell me that if I ever needed help I could go to him."

"Okay, I can believe that." There was a short pause before she continued, "You miss Kairi, don't you?"

I snapped my head towards her in disbelief, to which she merely giggled. My cerulean eyes fell as I painfully asked, "Is it that obvious?"

She pursed her lips and nodded.

I threw my head back and groaned, "How do you know?"

"That's easy. The way you look at her."

I looked at her confusedly, "The…way I…look at her?"

"Mhm. You look at her a certain way. I've seen you watch her and without realizing it, what you're doing is you're taking in every detail of her appearance from her skin tone to her hair length."

Now that she had mentioned it, I did actually do that. I could probably describe every inch of her body without missing a beat. Was that weird?

"And it doesn't stop there," she continued, pulling me back to what she was saying. "You don't just study her appearance. You study her mannerisms and her emotions. You study what she thinks and what she likes. Am I right?"

"Y-yeah…" I trailed off and Aerith did not continue speaking. She just watched me tinker with my thoughts until I could make sense of them all. My lips parted and my pubescent voice uttered, "But…how would you know all of that?"

She smiled sweetly, "Because I've been in love and that's what we do when we're in love. We're absolutely fascinated with the person that we adore so we want to learn everything about their past and their present in the hope that we can be their future."

Aerith let me absorb her words for a few moments before placing a gentle hand on my shoulder and advising, "I think you should tell her how you feel."

"When?"

"Now."

"Now? But I still have to take care of the Organization."

"And you will. But right now, you need to be with her."

"It'll take a while before I get to her."

She teased, "Well I guess you better get your butt moving. I'm going back inside, okay? Don't take too long out here."

"A-alright, I'll be right there."

I sat there for a few minutes until I finally made a decision as to what I was going to do. I walked back into the house and told Donald and Goofy what I wanted to do. Donald was a bit resistant at first but Goofy supported me and convinced the white duck into approving our trip to my home world. With at settled, I bid my friends farewell and went to pack my things.

Before doing so a thought occurred to me so I scrambled for one of Merlin's quills and a piece of paper. I was never much of a writer so my handwriting was sloppy but I just scribbled on that sheet until my hand gave in from the excessive workout. Once it was finished, I placed the letter in a bottle and with Merlin's help sent it through the cosmos to Destiny Islands. I wanted it to get there before I did and with the amount of Heartless my companions and I would have to fight, there was no doubt in my mind that it would.

* * *

 **[Kairi]**

My eyes slowly fought against the residual drowsiness from my slumber until my eyelids finally parted completely and I could see the pink sheets and pillows that were sprawled on my bed. Still feeling fatigued, I reached over to grab one of my pillows and pulled it close to my chest. I didn't just do it because I still wanted to sleep. To be honest, I held it tightly for comfort that I craved ever since my hand left Sora's. It'd been about a year since I last saw him but it felt like so much more. He was such a big part of my life – I would see him almost every day – so knowing that he was out in the universe fighting dangerous monsters and people scared me to death. I wished that he could have been by my side instead of swinging that key of his around.

I lay on my bed in that position for some time until the doorbell downstairs chimed. It urged me to get up but I refused to leave my bed, especially on a Saturday. My adoptive parents could get the door instead. Then, it settled in my mind. Both of my parents were usually out of the house before I even woke up on weekends. With a frustrated groan, I threw the sheets off of my thin body and slammed by pale feet onto the carpet. I moved sluggishly through my room but stopped as soon as I saw Medusa in the mirror.

My eyes instinctively rolled as I grabbed a brush and started pummeling away at my wild crimson tresses. When my hair finally started looking like it belonged on a human head, I grabbed a scrunchie and twisted it into a messy bun. On my way out, I grabbed my robe to throw over my white tank top and red bunny pajama pants. I descended the stairs and walked to the front door but once I opened it, there was no one standing there. I was so nettled that I was determined to kill whichever neighborhood brat that was pulling this lame prank. Soon, my eyes fell to the glass bottle that sat on the doormat. Feeling like this was part of the prank, I scanned the area to check if there were any kids trying to hide. My gaze fell back to the bottle and once I saw a crown stamped onto the seal, I plucked it off the ground, slammed the door behind me, and ran back up to my room.

I quickly ripped the cork off (with the elegant use of my teeth) and pounded the bottle's opening against the palm of my hand in a desperate attempt to take the letter out. When I managed to get it out, I tossed the bottle onto my bed and unrolled the piece of paper. My eyes shot back and forth from one end to the other, digesting every handwritten word that I could find on its surface.

The note read:

 _Hey Kairi,_

 _I hope you still remember what I look like because I haven't seen you in more than a bit. Last night I had the kind of dream that you just don't want to wake up from and that's 'cause you were in it. Hey! That rhymed! Anyways, yesterday morning when I woke up, it felt more like a nightmare because I rolled over and I thought you'd be right there but nope, I was just here all alone wishing that I was on my way home. So a friend gave me some advice and I decided I needed to come see you to tell you something._

 _I've been gone forever, so I'm coming home tonight. We'll be back together because this Gummi Ship will fly. I can't predict the weather but you should know I'll be on the first flight home. And I bet that if I left right now, I'd probably make it to you by the morning so I'm packing up my bags and hopping on this rocket ship. I'll be there before your eyes even open so hurry up and tell Donald to take off so we can pick up right where we left off. I can't believe it! I'm finally on my way and if feels so good to say that I'll be home in no time._

 _Yeah and I'll walk up through your driveway. It's been a while since I've been on that block. Then I'll walk up to your front door and know you'll recognize our secret knock._

As soon as I read the "k," I heard knocking but it wasn't normal. There was a one swift knock, followed by another, and then five more in quick succession and that's when I knew.

"He's here…"

I dropped the letter and bolted out of my room and down the stairs. I yanked the door open and saw him there standing with his fist mid-knock and a confused look on his face. My breath completely escaped me and words just failed to come to mind as I took in his appearance. His outfit had changed drastically from white and red to darker colors with countless zippers, buttons, belts, and straps. He'd gotten taller but his hair was still the same and so were his eyes and that goofy grin of his.

Without my consent, hot tears overflowed and spilled onto my cheeks and a joyful smile spread across my lips as I yelled, "Sora!" and jumped into his arms. I could tell that he was slightly caught off guard by the sudden action but I soon felt his hands against my back and I let myself fall into his body.

I could hear the smile on his face as he said, "Hey, I know I've been gone forever but I'm finally home in time." We separated from our hug and he looked right into my eyes to tell me, "Now that I'm here, I'm never leaving your side. I told you I was coming…sorry it took so long. I-I was…on the first flight home. I was on the first flight home," he repeated, more confidently.

I shook my head and released quick breaths of laughter before burying myself into his embrace again. "I know, Sora. I know."

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 **So? What do you guys think? Be sure to let me know in the reviews and leave any suggestions for song and pairing combinations that you have. Even drop a scenario if you have one! Well, that's it for me for now so I'll see you all next time! Legacy, out!**


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